This invention relates to blackjack, more specifically, a method for playing a blackjack game wherein players of the game compete against one another, rather than a dealer or “house.”
Many people are familiar with the game of blackjack because of its simplistic rules wherein each card has an assigned value (an Ace may count as a 1 or 11, the cards valued from 2-9 are valued as indicated and the 10, Jack, King and Queen are valued at 10) and the sum of the cards must have a value that is closer to 21 than that of the dealer, without going over 21, in order to win. The suits of the cards are of no relevance in the game, nor is the presence of other players as each player strictly competes against the hand of the dealer only.
Each player places a bet and, along with the dealer, initially receives two cards, one face up and one face down. A player may draw additional cards (called a “hit”) or may stand on the cards at his or her preference. The dealer must draw additional cards until he or she reaches a minimum value of 17. A blackjack occurs when a player or the dealer receives an ace and a face card or ten. While a blackjack by a player typically pays one and a half times the player's initial bet, a blackjack by the dealer instantly ends the game, causing each player to lose.
Although blackjack is currently one of the most popular card and casino games, it is limited in the fact that each player competes only against one other player, the dealer, thereby making the game somewhat blase. Moreover, a player's winnings in blackjack are also limited as he or she only stands to gain a predetermined amount of money in relation to how much money he or she initially bets.
Thus, a need exists for a new method of playing a blackjack game that brings excitement back to the game of blackjack by permitting players to compete against one another, rather than only against a dealer, thereby increasing the level of competitiveness in the game. Moreover, because more players are betting that his or her hand is better than another player's, the amount of money he or she stands to gain from a win is also increased substantially.
The relevant prior art includes the following patents:
Patent No.(U.S. unlessstated otherwise)InventorIssue Date5,413,353Demarest et al.May 09, 19955,810,360SrichayapornSep. 22, 19985,720,483TrinhFeb. 24, 19986,719,291deKellerApr. 13, 20046,283,474de KellerSep. 04, 20016,279,910de KellerAug. 28, 20015,639,092MacaisaJun. 17, 19975,871,213Chadband et al.Feb. 16, 19992002/0195775Webb et al.Dec. 26, 20026,575,465LoJun. 10, 20035,518,249Sines et al.May 21, 19965,979,897GrossmanNov. 09, 1999